Power set for automatic sprinklers.



E. A. RIX.

POWER SE'I FQR AUTOMATIC SPRINKLERS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT.21. 1909.

Patented Mar. 22, 1910.

human srairas EDWARD 'A. RIX, OF SAN FBANCISGQ, CALIFQRNIA.

rowan SET Eon Annemarie srnmKLEns.

Specification of Letters latent. Patented Elias; %2,1910a Application filed October 21, 1909. Serial No. season;

To all warm it may concern:

Be it known that l, Enwnnn A. R125, citi- Sprinklers, of which the following is a specification.

My invent-ion relates to an apparatus known as a power set which is designed to furnish water and air under pressure to be used for sprinkling purposes, and is especially designed for systems usin Water in this manner for the protectiono i buildings from fires.

Most large buildings with valuable stocks are now installing automatic sprinkler systems, which consist in putting on the roof of the building. tanks of water, holding about 6000 gallons, more or less, and the upper portion of such a tank is filled with compressed air of about seventy-five pounds to the inch. Pipes to lead to the ceilings of the various rooms of the building and sprinkler heads are in the ceiling. These heads are plugged with a material which melts at a very low heat or other automatic means for releasing water in case of fire. When the plugs melts, the water from the tanks is sprinkled over the contents of the room by means of gravity, and also by the pressure of the compressed air in the tank.

The Board of Fire Underwriters demandthat a suitable pump and compressor, and

means of driving-same, be established at a convenient place in the building, so that the watchman can operate it at stated times, in order to maintain the level of the water and the air in the tank at a fixed point and pres sure. A plant of this sort '18 known as set," and none of these sets heretofore have been convenient or wholly satisfactory.

They are generally to run with a motor, and the great trouble has been to fix up a combination so that you can run either the pump or the compressor from the motor. This has re ulted in a mass of gears and friction clutches and changes in mechanism that have been expensive and discouraging. Experience shows that l have solved the problem in a very convenient way.

The invention.consists of. the parts and the UOllSll'tlCtlOu and combination otparts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed. having reference to the acconmanying drawing, in which the figure is a side elevation of the device, partly in section.

A is a small standard compressor which. with the proper geartrain a is connected u to an electric motor B mounted on -a suit alilebase 'C with the compressor. -Along side of the motor is a small du lex directacting pump 2. The output'o the motor and the compressor in compressedair"is sutli'cient to drive the pump. The 3 from the compressor is connec' inclosed air-tight main sprinkler tank a lo' cated at any suitable point. Fine 3 also has a branch pipe 5 leading to end of the pump, so that the pu cither from the compressor or the ti by both. The exhaust from the go anywhere, but for economical reason" pipe this exhaust, back to the inlet of the compressor, at (i. I W 5 7 1s a valve in branch air pipe 5, and 8 is a valve in pipe 3 between branch 5 a'nd'the storage tank 4. I 1

In operation, when air; is to be pumped into, the sprinkler, tank, simply open the 8 cock 8 from the compressor to the tank, close cock 7,start. the motor, and the compressor will deliversuch air as is necessary. 9 is e pressure gage and 10 a gage glass on the tank- I for indicatin res. ectivel the air oressure and water level theimin. It more water is wanted in tank 4, the cock 7 from the com pressor to the pum is opened, and the coire pressor will run tie pump and the pump will force water into the. tank. As' it 1s always desirable to have an air recejver intervene between-a compressor and its Work, I, therefore, prefer to leave the valve 8 in the pipe from the compressor to the sprinkler tank open, so that when the pump is started I will have the benefitof this air receiver back of the pump, and. if necessary some of the air may fiow from the sprinkler receiver into the pump, it the compressor is not makinga sufiicient quantity. It can be readily seen that thecompressor need not supply all the air necessar to run the pump,

because the pump could draw such a quantity of air from the sprinkler tank t for its 'nse,-w'hich would be equivalent to' whatthe water pump would displace by the water that it'pumps into the sprinkler tank. In this way, it does not-interfere at all with l the pressures in the sprinkler tank, and the l compressor would then only haveto furnish l i l the difference necessary to maintain the equilibrium. The exhaust from the pump, of course, is very cold, and 1t 15 desirable to utilize this coolness about the compressor cylinder, and if the intake air of the com time giving cold air to the intake and a sli'ght pressure. Any excess will go out the opening marked 12. i

HWliile I have used the words electric motor in describing the method of driving the small compressor, any' other form of motive pow-er can be used, and any other form also of suitable air-driven pump can be used, and exhaust from the pump may also be connected directly to the compressor cylinder so that the cylinder will receive the air at any pressure desired.

The practical advantages of a construction such as herein described are many. There are no levers or clutches or complicated mechanism for an inexperienced hand, like a watchman, to handle; if he wants to run the motor, all he has to do is to turn a switch; If the air pressure in the tank is abncrmel and the water level is low, all he haste do to open the valves 7-8 and the pump will start up. automatically from the pressure in the tank Without any starting the motor or the comand after turning on the switch starts the motor, and opening the 78, the air pressure and the water level in the tank are quickly built up to the d osi red points by the combined act-ion of the compressor and the reserve air pressure king on the pump.

.rliaving described my invention, what r e m desire to secure by Letters Pat; 1 1.G--

' It oowe'" set comprising in combination pump, a suitable an compressor and a pressure tank, air connection between the compressor and tank, connections with both the compressor and the tank by which the pump can be run either from the compressor or from the tank, or both, and waterconnections between the pumping end of the pump and the tank.

2. A power set comprising a compressor, a motor to drive the compressor, a duplex direct-acting pump, an inclosed sprinkler tank, water connections between the pumping end of the pump and the tank, an air connection between the compressor and the tank,

and a branch pipe leading from said last named connections to the power end of the pump, by which the pump is runeither from the compressor or from the tank, or both.

3. A power set comprising a compressor,

a motor to drive the compressor, a duplex direct-acting pump, an. inclosed sprinkler tank, water connections between the pump-' ing end of the pump and the tank, an air connection between the compressor and the tank, a branch pipe leading from said lastnamed connections to the power end of the pump, by which the pump is run either from the compressor or from the tank, or both, a valve in said branch connections, and a valve in the air connections leading to the tank between said branch and the tank.

4;. A power set comprising a compressor, a motor to drive the compressor, a duplex direct-acting pump, an inclosed sprinkler tank, water connections between the pumping end of the pump and the tank, an air connection between the compressor and the tank, a branch pipe leading from said lastnamed connections to the power end of the pump, by which the pump is run either. from the compressor or from the tank, or both, and an exhaust pipe leading from the pump back into the inlet to the compressor.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

EDWARD A. RIX. Witnesses (Julienne A. Pnnrmno, Fnnnnmou. ll. MAYNARD. 

